More treasures available from Goldmine Trash❤. A gal can never have enough clothes, right?

I usually don’t stock separates, but I’m a sucker for a great novelty print. Therefore I couldn’t say no to this! Lady Veshoevius, I’m looking at you.

Spanish dancers and bullfighters. Whatever the Spanish word for ‘swoon’ is can be inserted here.

Again with the novelty print thing. This thing is bat bird shit insane! 40s inspired 70s 2pc dress set in the most amazing/eye gouging bird print known to man. Natrurally, it sold in an instant. I’m including it in this post for your gawking pleasure though.

70s chic = all over this spring/summer = I found your new favorite dress. Beautiful and goes with everything.

This Courreges inspired cutie gives off a…. medical…. vibe. Blame it on the Stendhal syndrome.

Mad Men a la Mode. The perfect lil atomic age dress for everyday wear. Go shopping, cook dinner, and plunge the toilet IN STYLE. It’s all good, girl.

House of Trash strikes again! I have 60 yards of this fabric. Isn’t it fab? This is the perfect dress for Viva Las Vegas. It’s appropriate for a wearing to a car show, but would make quite a statement as you dance the night away too.

This was made from an authentic 50s sewing pattern – which I tweaked to incorporate some 50s Hollywood meets Hawaiian style flair. Strapless, balcony bustline, rouching, boned for support, and sporting a full circle skirt : D.

I love the mid century influenced wood grain print. The sort of wood grain which leaves you intoxicated on an aesthetic level.

Didn’t see this one coming, did ya? Another House of Trash masterpiece made by me!

This thing is so structural that it can stand up on it’s own. This was fashioned from the same vintage pattern as the tiki dress above, but was also tweaked to have a style all it’s own.

Once again you get a strapless bodice w/ balcony bustline, only this one is accentuated with ruffles. And the front overlay has a dramatic ‘m’ shape which resembles a (holy smokes!) Batman mask. It’s double boned at the sides, and has a full circle skirt.

Made of a jet black vinyl which is textured and crinkled. It’s lightly lined with cotton too.

Cecil Beaton said it best “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”

My friend Allison (a real life Blair ‘evil dictator of taste’ Waldorf) pointed out that the bodice is similar to the one on the Vivienne Westwood wedding dress. Ya know, the one Carrie Bradshaw wore in the Sex and the City movie. I never made that connection until now.

Another overload of cuteness in the Goldmine Trash Etsy shop this week!

Mid century mademoiselle! Late 50s-early 60s cotton day dress in a jewel toned atomic print. Love.

Just like honey. I love the fullness of the bust gathering and skirting. 50s perfection in a beige, tan, and amber checkered plaid.

Surprise! Another one of a kind House of Trash original. The fabric was vintage deadstock and is in the most PRISTINE MINT CONDITION! You’d think it was made yesterday with how crisp and vibrant it is. Gorgeous plum/raisin color with an Indian style floral print… stamped with metallic gold throughout.

The skirt is a full circle, so you’ll all eyes will be on you as your twirl about the dance floor. So fun.

Classy as can be cocktail dress in a metallic silver and white damask floral brocade. Very Blair Waldorf.

Fun fact: there was no such as person as Suzy Perette. Suzy Perette was simply a brand name for a New York design house which specialized in providing adaptations of Parisian haute couture designs, particularly ones by Balmain and Dior.

While Suzy Perette dresses were a more affordable alternative to couture, they were still out of reach for most buyers, with prices averaging around $70.00 – a small fortune back then. Consequently, this label is pretty collectible today.

Like all Suzy Perette dresses, this silver stunner has a somewhat sculptural look, a nipped in waist, and is made of premium fabric. The photos don’t begin to do it justice! It’s very flattering on, and is in dire need of new adventures.

Just in time for St. Patty’s! These two 80s prom dresses are a guaranteed way to get noticed. I love 80s metallics, and if there’s a big bow, even better. They’re both under $50 too. Before the discount even.

SOLD. But worth showing for fun. 10+ years ago I sold a 60s mini with a mod/London Underground target print to another vintage store. And 10+ years later I still kicking myself for letting it go; it was easily one of the coolest vintage prints I’ve seen!

I’ll probably kick myself for selling this one too, but oh well. At least it’s going to a good home. Godspeed, 60s micro mini.

ALSO SOLD. To the same gal. I’ve had a ‘thing’ for color blocked 60s dresses ever since the PSA uniform Zooey Deschanel wore in Almost Famous. I especially love when they’re black and white, or red, white, and navy blue. Like this one.

Mosey on over if you see anything to your liking. And don’t forget – entering discount code ‘vlv14’ during checkout takes 25% off your entire purchase!

This weeks new arrivals are sooo cute! If you see something you can’t live without, click here to shop.

Both discount codes ‘vlv14’ and ‘hello2011’ are valid at checkout for taking 25% off your total purchase. You know how Etsy gets though; every so often something malfunctions. A customer placed an order and used the discount during checkout this morning w/o any issue, but last night another customer complained the discount code wasn’t working.

Damn those glitches! But fear not ladies – if Etsy doesn’t make it right, I will. In the event a discount code doesn’t work, I’ll make sure to refund the difference on Paypal. I promise.

With outta the way, let’s get on with the show:

Q: Why does this dress resemble a Singapore sling?

A: Because it’s belongs at your next cocktail party. Hint hint! Bright and festive 50s cotton dress in a Mayan inspired geometric print, with lil’ bows around the neck and a ruffle hemline. Pair it with the works aka flowers and cocktail umbrellas in your hair, bakelite and bamboo bangles, carved wooden wedge heels, and whatever tastes fruity. Then bust out the Martin Denny records. Sometimes more is just… more.

Heavenly shades of night. This House of Trash dress has a bittersweet story. The best fabric store in town was going out of business, and had to liquidate their inventory. They sold nothing but high end imported fabrics, such as the French silk this is made of.

It normally retailed at $44.00 a yard, so in theory the dress has $176.00 worth of fabric alone. I was able to pay much less than that though.

So to keep the good karma flowing I’ve priced it at under $200.00, AND you can get 25% off my asking price. For a one of a kind, handmade vintage reproduction fashioned from an authentic early 50s sewing pattern (which has a distinct Dior ‘new look’ silhouette) + top quality fabric, you can’t go wrong. There’s a lot of hand stitching on this, and I even added a vintage metal zipper to keep it as authentic looking as possible.

**edit** This beauty found a new home right after I posted this. And yes, the buyer was able to use the discount code w/o any issues : ). ******

At last, another 60s dress! We’ve suffered a shortage of them for months, but thankfully replenished our stock last week. There’s many more mod mini’s on the way next week, but this one’s a good start.

Chocolate brown and white op art print. Yum yum yum.

70s meets 7 Year Itch! Had Marilyn lived another decade this could’ve been her dress. Plunging halter neckline, nipped waist, and full skirting. The floral print ain’t too shabby either : P. Technically someone ‘bought’ this on Etsy, but it hasn’t been paid for yet. I’m sure they won’t flake out though. On something this great, who would?

SarahJayne loves the 70s, part 10,000. Joyful floral print in a light stretch knit + matching chiffon overdrape. Cute cute cute. I want to wear this before someone buys it, but I have a tendency to treat my clothes like Tonka trucks, so I’ll resist. Nothing can stop me from swooning though.

Hopelessly. Head. Over. Heels. In. Love. The butterflies and wildflowers, the puffy sleeves, the sweetheart neckline, the cut….. if you’re cute like Doe Deere is, you need this in your life.

Studio 54 approved! This little black polyester 70s dress may be easy to care for, but basic is the last this you can call it. Asymmetrical v neckline, double tiers of asymmetrical skirting with marrowed edges…. dang!

There’s much more on the way too. I have piles upon piles of stuff to list. Good stuff. You’ll see.

Things have been slow at my day job, so I’ve been on a tighter budget for the past few months. I got tipped off to a hell of an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up on though, so I headed north for the weekend to do some buying for the shop.

In small town USA lives a guy who’s mother did theatre costuming from the 1940s-1980s. When the threatre closed, she got to keep all 15,000+ costume pieces (talk about a perk!) She died a few years back, but he never held an estate sale. He just hung on to everything, and stashed it in a barn. Until recently, he had no clue there was a market for old clothes.

Eventually someone clued him in though, the word got out, and slowly but steadily pieces have been sold off. When I visited him this weekend, he said there were about 5,000 pieces left. Much of it I had to pass on due to condition issues, but there’s still plenty of very wearable stuff, mainly from the 50s and 70s. And while I won’t leak #’s, I will say this: I got a hell of a deal. I love when this happens, because then I can keep prices lower too : D.

Anyway… it was the shock of my life to come accross such an opportunity. Things like this used to be the norm in the vintage clothing industry, but nowadays most estates get raided by museums and upscale Hollywood shops long before the public is alerted. I was honestly shocked by how much was left. You’d think a big name dealer would’ve purchased the entire lot.

Because I made other purchases from thrift shops, I only had so much room in my car. But believe me, I’ll be back to this secret stash of hidden treasure!

Here are a few pieces from the haul:

Disco divinity! It’s no secret that I love 70s poly dresses like this. And I love the clothes Frederick’s of Hollywood used to make. Best of both worlds. The 2nd picture shows the true color better, which is a lavender.

50s and gathered and floral and full skirted. Oh my. Jewel tones are so underrated.

Have you ever seen a 50s dress where the beading is fringed like that? That was more common with 60s dresses, which makes this quite an oddity. Pretty carnation pink lace, with a full skirt and rhinestones, faux pearls, and bugle beads on the bust. Fun.

Colorful + 70s + cropped length = the perfect top for mixing with this springs trends. This one has also sold.

The touch, the feel, the fabric of our lives. Not cotton folks, rayon. Smooth, silky, cold to the touch 40s rayon. Totally luxe; nothing has been made like it since, making this a rare treat. I love the color scheme of this dress. Plus it’s shirred shoulders and lil’ bows.

Obsessed. Vintage Bali crochet stuff is killer! Plus the embroidery and scalloped hems on this piece are pretty sweet.

Serious ‘what the fuck’ moment, in a good way! 50s halter dress w/ a skirting overlayer made of asymmetrical fishnet mesh… which has a beige paint splatters all over it. If Lydia from Beetle Juice time traveled to the Eames era, she would’ve worn this.

Oooooh yeah. I dubbed this dress ‘la Parisienne’ because it reminds me of Miss Pandora, one of my favorite fashion bloggers. I could totally see her in this, rocking some black Louboutin heels so the soles would match the print!

Amazing 60s party dress in a quilted rose print, with an empire waist and fringed hem. I’ll probably end up kicking myself for letting this go.

I can’t help but wonder who the actresses were that wore these, and what plays they were used in. Gigi? South Pacific?

There’s much more on the way of course. Just wait, honey child.

Hope you all had wonderful weekends and Valentine’s Days! I’m so glad fashion week is going on. I can’t wait to see what the fall trends will be.

Brrrr, is it ever cold outside! Remember what I told you about TX weather? Last week felt like spring. But this week we’ve had snow, icy roads, single digit temperatures… and more snow is predicted for tomorrow.

Needless to say, I’ve hardly left home. Which in a sense is a blessing, because (when the power isn’t down) it’s pushed me to focus on adding new items to the Goldmine Trash shop. This isn’t even the begining of our stock. I have a lot of seams to reinforce and hems to restitch on the vintage, and several House of Trash dresses need finishing touches. Slowly but surely I’m working on it. So here’s a start:

I love these 80s butterfly tops! They look great with skinny jeans (or shorts in the summer), and can be layered over maxi dresses as well. Perfect for partying in. You’ll have no problem standing out in dark room with this thing on! It’s deadstock – never worn vintage – and has the original tag + bag of extra sequins and beads intact.

I’ve dubbed this the Intoxi-dress, in honor of Intoxica Radio with Howie Pyro. A collector of all things vintage since childhood, Howie has over 30,000 vinyl records alone! Intoxica is my favorite radio show because Howie’s great sense of humor really comes out on there. Plus, you can hear stuff you’ll never hear anywhere else. In an age where everything seems instantly accessible online, that’s quite an accomplishment, imo.

This House of Trash dress was handmade by yours truly, from deadstock vintage fabric in an ultra rare vinyl record print. It fits a modern size large, and you’ll need some dangerous curves to fill this baby out. My dressform did this no justice!

Mother of God. This thing is amazing! I’ve pretty much seen it all in my 15+ years of wearing, collecting, and selling vintage. This piece had me stumped however. The gal I originally purchased it from thought it had something to do with the Russian Orthodox church. There’s no religious insignias on it though.

Other theories are that it’s a vintage costume, a fraternal order costume, or a vintage Indian garment. One of our Facebook friends offered the most likely explanation though: that it’s a torero (bull fighters) costume. Considering that TX borders Mexico, this makes the most sense.

According to her, the matching skullcap would’ve been worn under a larger hat. And the drawstring bag would’ve carried religious trinkets for good luck.

Whatever the case may be, this set is stunning! It’s hand stitched, and all that cording is hand tacked in place. The velvet looks and feels like a 30s velvet, so I’m dating this to the 1930s. It’s in fabulous condition. It’s perfect for a boho babe to make some magic in, but would be perfect for a burlesque costume too.

Tiered ruffles on a 50s day dress? There’s something ya don’t see every day! I love this dress more than anything. Such vibrant head turning colors – you can’t help but smile when looking at it. Double darted bust w/ rouching at the center, nipped in waist, and full ruffled skirting. Divine!

ABOUT A GIRL

Ramblin' woman with a heart of black gold. Treasure hunter/restless spirit residing in Texas. I sell vintage clothing to local boutiques, run EBay and Etsy shops, create vintage inspired goods, and take road trips weekly. I love to cook, am a firm believer in crystal healing and other holistic practices, and am on an endless quest for knowledge. Music, film, and art are very important to me.

This blog documents my various adventures and inspirations... when time permits.